your events are or how members feel about your publications or marketing pieces is crucial. Knoepke recommends
surveying members often. “Use every opportunity to survey
members that you can,” she says. “And when you’re doing
it, make the survey questions work really hard. Not every
question can ask two questions, but a lot of them can.”

Gathering, Sharing Data

Whether an association completes its valuation process or
hires a third-party vendor, gathering as much data as possible
about its organization and the benefits it offers is critical.
Organizations must look inward to define what unique value
they bring to potential sponsors.

“You have to know what it is of particular value your organization provides to these companies that they can’t get on their
own,” says Sara Moser, director of corporate development and
sponsorships at the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
“It’s about showing your organization’s particular value —
such as purchasing power in a particular segment.”

“We’re always thinking about how the
sponsor can get closer — in a relevant
and appropriate and ethical way — to the
people they’re trying to reach. Anything
that gets them closer to that is going to be
more valuable than benefits that don’t.”

Because the data about your association is homegrown,
make gathering that data an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“It doesn’t have to be the person in the sponsorship program exclusively who is coming up with the information,”
Knoepke says. Staff in all relevant association departments
can lend a hand. Often, the information needed already is being tracked, such as e-mail click-through rates, etc.

Rogaliner says her sponsorship program gets its volunteer
leaders involved by following up with them to see if they